Making an expansion pack to Half Life was no small task. But Gearbox was more than willing to set the bar.

Opposing Force is fundamentally a similar experience to Half Life 1. But it expanded on it's core foundation in numerous ways. There are new actually interesting weapons, friendly squad members who serve different non-combat roles and a few other things.

But what Opposing Force does well is it continues the legacy left by Half Life 1. It has consistantly good pacing and like Half Life dynamically goes from low-key puzzle segments to high octane action horror. It's just so much fun to play it's an actual challenge for me to pick between playing either Half Life or Opposing Force. Since both games compliment each other so well.

If you like Valve games, or even first person shooters. You owe it to yourself to play Opposing Force. It is one of those games that you just can't stop playing.

Half-Life: Opposing Force (also known as Government Cover-up Simulator 1999 or Call of Half-Life: Black Mesa Warfare) is a first-person action shooter game that serves as the first expansion to the critically acclaimed and award-winning Half-Life by Valve. Unlike Half-Life however, this title was made by Valve alongside Gearbox Software. Interestingly, unlike Half-Life, the player will see the Black Mesa incident through the eyes of a U.S. Marine(the Military enemies in the first game).

The player takes the role of Commander…(I mean)…Corporal Shephard, a U.S. Marine with the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit who were sent to the Black Mesa Complex for an unknown operation. While en route inside an Osprey to the Complex, Shephard and his team are attacked by Xen air-borne units forcing the Osprey to crash knocking him out. After regaining consciousness, Shephard learns that the Marines were being severely outnumbered and outgunned by the Xen forces which prompted High Command to call for a full evacuation and that anyone left behind is on their own (totally disregarding the U.S. Marine mantra “No man left behind”). Follow Shephard in his trek across the massive Black Mesa Complex in an attempt to escape while uncovering a government cover-up that would pitch Shephard against U.S. Black Operations Units, Xen forces, and a new alien threat called Race X.

PROS:

+ New enemy types with unique abilities and weapons (instead of just rehashing the materials of the main game)+ Fun and interesting new weapons such as the Displacer Cannon and Shock Roach+ Well made action-packed story which shows players a different side of the Black Mesa Incident+ Introduction of new game mechanics such as Rope Climbing, Secondary heavy melee attacks, Grappling hooks (Barnacle hook?), Night vision and Portal guns that send you (or your target) to another dimension (See Displacer Cannon above)+ Possibly the first FPS game to implement a Military Squad game mechanic+ Entertaining Tutorial with cultural references+ Story intersects with some important Half-Life 1 events+ Good voice acting for its time+ Andrian Shephard is possibly a descendant of Jack (protagonist of Bioshock) due to his uncanny ability to wield a Wrench in battle against Black Ops Soldiers and Aliens.

CONS:

- Relatively short game with me clocking around 5 hours of game time on hard mode.- New squad mechanics is clunky (I can actually forgive this since it’s possibly the first squad mechanic on an FPS game)- Puzzles are not that satisfying to solve- Final chapter leading to the final boss feels rushed and underdeveloped- Unsatisfying and easy final boss

CONCLUSION:

GREAT EXPANSION that I HIGHLY RECOMMENDED specially for those who played the first Half-Life game and I say this because it is littered with several subtle nods from the main game. Opposing Force is a good example on how to make an expansion; it introduces new game mechanics, new enemies, new weapons and all the while delivering a new story that still being closely related to the main Half-Life plot.

MUST BUY AND MUST HAVE. I, however, do recommend you purchase the Half-Life Anthology if you already have Half-Life 2 but if you do not have it, get Half-Life Complete.

Best expansion for a game : EVER!I haven't had so much enjoyment playing an expansion pack. As always, Valve never fails to impress, same goes to Gearbox for their legendary game developing skills.Opposing Force not only expands the main game, but adds major updates to the already grand foundation laid out by Half-Life. The story starts right where Half-Life starts, but you're controlling a commando of the HECU unit (which was the army squadrons that were trying to kill you in the original game) and the plot cuts off to a different direction that we never got to see before and also you get to have super cool buddies and with so many additions to the game which are : MANY new weapons, different equipment, lots of new characters, better AI, squad teammates with different attributes, lots of new enemies.And best thing was, I got this gem during the Valve special sale event along with the whole Half-Life collection just for 10 bucks. Best decision EVA!10/10 - All hail Gaben, our lord.

As someone loving a good setting and a great story with room for theories and mystery, this game gives me everything I could ask for.If you love or even like Half Life, play this game!It enhances the story for a big chunk.This game is from 1999, so I won't even talk about graphics and stuff, you can imagine how it looks.

The only thing that bothers me is that you change weapon if you pick up the new one.That killed me once as I got some Nades from a crate, but that is a little thing.You can't change that in the options menu, if you know console commands feel free to change it, I don't know how.

Anyways, you should totally get this game.I hate that I did not play it earlier.

Well, no need to tell you what it is.Opposing Force gives you different part of view on the Black Mesa accident, playing as Adrian Shepard, Miliary Specialist that has been sent to eliminate Gordon Freeman, but after arriving discovers that the best thing to do, is escape the facility.

Opposing Force is the first expansion pack for the five star new standard bearer FPS Half Life 1. The bottom line is this is a great expansion pack.

You are a marine, Corporal Adrian Shepard sent into the Black Mesa facility after Half Life 1's protagonist Gordon Freeman uh accidentally created a rift in space / time and brought aliens in. Everyone talks to you in the game without cut scenes.

When you start the game, Gordon in Half Life 1 is still there and your mission goes from being sent to kill him to fighting for your own survival. You visit portions of the first game yet changed, such as you will visit some of the entry tunnel from the first segment of Half Life 1. You will visit the dam from the original game. Everything changed with new challenges in each. There are plenty of puzzles some are different than the original game and others are more complex. Such as instead of having to use a push box once, you need to use it 3x pushing it from room to room.

I'd say those old environments (destroyed with new challenges) are maybe 1/100th of the map content. The new environments feel fresh and they use a lot of lighting to make it look different. It feels fresh because the other universe is starting to be integrated into our own universe through the aliens making it and because Black Mesa had creature exhibits. There are new textures, you'll go through vine covered sewers where giant fat aliens have their nests.

There are also new gameplay elements that you will be introduced to in an optional training course. The training course is a very nice tutorial that will show you everything new such as ropes to climb and swing on. It's a very nice mechanic. The flashlight has been replaced by night vision goggles which are very nice. You also have new squad mates to find in the game that will aide you like the medic who can heal you on command, the engineer who will blow torch his way through some doors and your standard commandos. Each of these three will fight intelligently and won't just stand around getting shot. They will defend the territory if you command them to stand there.

That's another thing the enemy and friendly AI is great as always from the game. AI will run from grenades, throw their own grenades, flank you, run from your fire and other things. It's very nice.

There are a lot of new weapons. I was surprised. You start with new melee weapons, a new pistol with an optional laser sight, a new sniper rifle that can be quite useful, new alien technology (if you don't want to hear just skip to the next paragraph), such as an electrical gun, a cannon that looks like a BFG from Doom (only more awesome), an acid spitting alien, and a ceiling grabber (yes the enemy) that can be used as a hook shot!

All the old enemies are here too... but there are a lot of new enemies too (if you don't want it spoiled, skip on!), the new enemies seem to be faster and more dangerous. From waist high creatures that run to you, to taller electric shooting aliens controlled by ant like parasites, giant fat electrical discharging enemies... and their offspring, the list goes on, but you'll be surprised at some of the things the expansion comes up with.

With a 5+ hour play through the first time, I do wish it was a bit longer so they could divvy out the enemies a bit slower. But hey it's an expansion pack. The graphics are not improved and they still have bugs like getting stuck in the floor of elevators and lifts, but all of that can be overlooked. A lot has been added to make this expansion worth anyone's time. Great expansion pack!

An excellent expansion pack from developer Gearbox! I wonder how many of us still know what expansions were... nowadays these extra stories would come in the form of DLCs not an expansion pack. It meant to indicate a longer story and this is definitely a bigger pack than a dlc which can be a single weapon or a new costume for a character in the game.

In any case, Opposing Force puts us in the shoes of a corporal, a certain Adrian Shepard, who - along with his fellow soldiers - is sent to neutralise the enemies invading the Black Mesa facility. As expected, things go awry and you are alone facing the good-old aliens. There is a new assortment of weapons, new enemies and new music. Oh, and there are fat security officers helping you!

By the way: the game comes with widescreen settings and vsync can be switched on! Just excellent!

A relatively long and challenging expansion pack that comes very cheap. It did age a lot throughout the 15 years but it is still a great game... at least for reminiscing purposes.

Opposing Force was Gearbox's first game and they did not disappoint back then. As the first of two Half-Life expansions Opposing Force put you in the shoes of a military character sent in to take out Gordon Freeman. Same quality as the original Half-Life and another great storyline addition to the Half-Life world. This is what all expansions of games should look like.

Half Life: Opposing force is an extension to the original Half Life game.You play as a soldier interventing during the Black Mesa incident, so it happens (at least starts) during HL1's event. It's a good extension and is worth giving a try if you liked HL1, as it brings a few new elements (weapons, some new gameplay possibilities like interaction with props) and it's always good to meet again these stupid Rambo sounding soldiers.

This was almost as engrossing as Half-Life actually was. Of course, you can't beat God (Half-Life, in this case) if you're an angel (OF), God is God for a reason! And that's the stupidest analogy I've ever made up, but bear with me, games like Opposing Force are never easy to make justice in words. But what I mean is, even though this game can't beat Half-Life, it was incredible. I'm not going to lie; I found certain things a tiny, tiny tiny tiny bit more "WOOOAAHHH" than Half-Life, but y'know... HALF-LIFE, MAN.

Something that amazed me from the game is the fact I was actually busting my ♥♥♥ to save every grunt I encountered. I loathed these ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥s in Half-Life and Blue Shift; I mean, they killed the poor scientists/security guards and actually enjoyed it! It was so sad! And I'm so used to killing them that every time I encountered a group of HECU marines, I'd panic and start shooting them. Then I'd be like "Oh. Right", and pressed the F9 key (my reload last save). At first I didn't mind and let them die, but dammit, they grew on me, to the point I'd truly be attempting to save them. I just felt fond of them. Except for the grunt that pushes the scientist when he's asking for Freeman when you're about to board the Osprey in which you're supposed to escape. That grunt I killed. ALSO, TWO GRUNTS ABANDONED ME IN CHAPTER 11 (The Package). I WENT TO EXPLORE A ROOM AND WHEN I GOT OUT THEY JUST DISAPPEARED. ♥♥♥♥♥.

Getting more serious now, something that really impressed me from Opposing Force besides the guns, the Race X and the new "puzzles", was the large-scale battles you can have at times. If you take care of your squad, you can have a group of at least four grunts with you. So when you encounter a lot of enemies, the fights are phenomenal! Sadly, this only happened once to me, I was barely able to get three grunts to follow me most of the time because some grunts were just too stubborn and stupid to follow me. This is the strongest flaw I encountered in the game; the grunts' AI is really stupid in the vast majority of the time. And they were also generally pretty useless in battle, and I'm not even counting the times I died because of friendly fire. However, there was one time in which I was able to have an epic Black Ops-Shock Troopers-HECU battle. Replayed it about four times just to repeat the breathtaking sequence. Unfortunately, it was hard to achieve and generally I spent too much time in the game trying to get everyone to follow me, which is simply precious game-time wasted. This is quite disappointing, in my opinion, since the rest of the game is of such extreme quality.

Being someone who's mostly played modern games, I have to say Opposing Force (as well as HL and BS) looks really good and its graphics are not bad at all for being a nearly twenty year old game. And even if the graphics were terrible (they're decent, in my opinion), the game would make up for it with its fantastic atmosphere, gameplay, battles, bosses, guns, ambiance and so forth. I also adored Gordon's direct and indirect appearances; his "employee of the month" photograph (was that his office?), his constant mention by the grunts and finally his Chapter 6 ("We Are Not Alone") direct appearance: where you actually see him. I seriously replayed that sequence seven times. I LOVE WHEN GAMES CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER SO DIRECTLY. Thinking that while you're still fighting your way through Black Mesa, Gordon is beating the crap out of Gonarch and everyone (or everything?) else. Opposing Force is, quite simply, a passionate application of creative design. I seriously cannot wait for Tripmine Studios' remake.

Definitely recommend the game. But as I also said on my BS review; only play it if you have played Half-Life. Otherwise, the game might feel dull to you and you won't understand the storyline, and won't be able to fan-girl over Gordon's appearances/mentions... well... if you're a crazy fan. Like me.